❛ 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆 ❜

8

as the morning sun streamed through the window, casting warm rays of light across the room, y/n stirred from her slumber with a soft groan. squinting against the brightness, she winced as the light filtered through her closed eyelids, the gentle warmth coaxing her out of sleep. groaning, the h/c-haired woman sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she tried to shake off the remnants of exhaustion that still clung to her like a heavy blanket.

despite her best efforts, she knew that sleep would elude her now.

reluctantly, y/n opened her eyes and her heart skipped a beat as she took in her surroundings—the unfamiliar room, the elegant furnishings, the soft glow of the morning light. so...everything that happened wasn't a dream, was it? everything that occurred last night had truly happened and the reality of it hit her like a ton of bricks.

suddenly, it felt like she couldn't breathe, the weight of her predicament pressing down upon her with suffocating force. the worst part of it all was that she had promised calcifer that she would leave by first light, and yet here she was, still in the castle. "damn it..." she buried her head in her hands. "why did he have to burn my dress?" y/n said through gritted teeth.

while she couldn't be completely mad at the fire demon, it did make matters a little bit more embarrassing for her because if she were to get out of the castle and somehow miraculously came across another town, all of the citizens would judge her attire since it'll give the impression that she hadn't taken the time to groom and dress appropriately, which would be true, but their disgusted glances would still manage to make her feel bad.

y/n then swung her legs over the edge of the bed, her feet landing softly on the cool floor below. she had to get out of here, had to make good on her word to calcifer.

as y/n made her way down the stairs with careful steps, as she didn't want to wake anyone, but she halted her actions when she overheard two people talking with one another below. but as she neared the bottom of the stairs, her breath caught in her throat at the sight of a man crouched in front of calcifer, his features illuminated by the fiery glow of the fireplace.

no, not just any man—it was howl. her instincts told her to retreat, to remain hidden from view, but her curiosity got the better of her, compelling her to hunker down and eavesdrop on their conversation. "she can't just stay here. c'mon, you know that..." calcifer said. they were talking about her, y/n realized with a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"she's not hurting anyone," howl replied softly, his voice barely above a whisper as he gazed into the dancing flames.

the response seemed to do little to sway calcifer, who looked up at howl with a glare that spoke volumes. he was less than impressed. instead of pressing the issue further, howl merely sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, his expression one of weary resignation. it was clear that he and calcifer were at odds over her presence in the castle, and y/n couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt at the thought of causing discord between them.

but she was determined to hear them clearly, so y/n began to walk down the remaining steps, her movements slow and deliberate. but just as she reached the last few stairs, one of them emitted a loud creak, shattering the fragile illusion of secrecy that she had worked so hard to maintain.

the sound echoed through the room like a gunshot, prompting howl to turn around and calcifer to peek out from behind him, also staring at y/n. caught red-handed, y/n could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment as she stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do next.

for a long moment, silence hung heavy in the air, broken only by the crackling of the fire and the sound of her own racing heartbeat. just as the y/n was about to get started on her three-part apology, she was stopped when the wizard smiled brightly. "ah, there she is!" howl said, loudly, seemingly unfazed and uncaring that she was just eavesdropping on them.

"yeah, well..." y/n trails off, her gaze shifting toward the front door, before returning to meet howl's gaze. "bye now." she waved them farewell but before she could take another step, howl's voice prompted her otherwise.

"where are you going?" he asked, his tone laced with a hint of hurt that sent a pang of guilt coursing through y/n's veins.

startled, y/n slowly and reluctantly shifted to face him, her eyes wide with surprise. "i...i'm leaving," she replied hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper. she thought it was painstakingly obvious that she didn't belong here and that she was bound to leave eventually. "calcifer and i agreed that i would leave in the morning, and that's exactly what i'm doing. i didn't want to be a bother to you all."

howl's expression softened at her words, a flicker of disappointment dancing in his eyes as he took a step closer to her. "but don't you think it would be better for you to stay for breakfast?" he asked, desperate.

before y/n could respond, calcifer scoffed from his place in the fireplace as he rolled his eyes. "yeah, like howl ever makes breakfast," he muttered under his breath, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "this is the first time in a long time that he's actually bothered to— but before he could finish his sentence, howl shot him a glare that silenced him instantly, the flames of his anger burning bright from within the charred logs that surrounded the fire demon.

caught off guard, y/n could only watch in silence as the tension between the two of them crackled in the air like electricity. bashfully, y/n shuffled on her feet, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment as she searched for a response. "i...i should really be getting back home. i don't want my mom worrying about me." she admitted, her gaze flickering nervously between the pair.

"oh? but calcifer here tells me that you ran away from home," howl said casually, his tone betraying nothing of the turmoil raging within him.

y/n's jaw clenched at the revelation, her eyes narrowing as she turned to stare at calcifer, her heart pounding in her chest. how could he betray her like this, revealing her secrets to howl without her consent? seeing how angry she was, calcifer awkwardly laughed, saying, "hey, it's not like i can keep a secret from the guy."

y/n's groan of frustration was muffled by the hand she pressed against her forehead, the weight of the situation pressing down upon her like a leaden blanket. she couldn't believe that calcifer had betrayed her trust like this, revealing her secrets to howl without a second thought. that blabbermouth.

for a moment, she entertained the idea of throwing a nice, cold bucket of water over him as payback, but quickly dismissed the notion. now was not the time for petty revenge.

y/n chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment before she soon caved in, knowing that she was never going to leave until she gave howl exactly what he wanted. "fine," she muttered begrudgingly. "i'll stay for breakfast."

a smile of satisfaction spread across howl's lips at her capitulation, his eyes lighting up with a gleam of triumph. "great," he said, relieved. "go get the plates, but leave the cooking to me."